You Run? No, really, you run?: November 2013

Monday, November 4, 2013

The 5th Annual Celebrate the Life of Porter

So it is coming up on 4 years ago that Porter passed away. Although it sometimes seems we've had Scuttlebutt and McMenamin forever (not Lompoc, though), it doesn't seem like Po died in 2009. However, she did, and thus the weekend rolled around to celebrate her life.

We celebrate it every Romp N Stomp/Chomp N Stomp weekend, well because she passed away the day before. I still remember D and running bud A going to the 5K and they were both so happy I didn't go. Apparently the cop missed a turn with the leader, and the race was only ~2 miles long. D said had I been there, he and A would have had to carry me back to the car. Later in the day, he forced me to get out of bed, because it was sunny out. We stopped by A's house to give her and J our football tickets and then we went to Chomp N Stomp. We had some chili but it was way crowded and I begged to go home. D said that we should just relax on a rock. So we did. Then I asked him for a beer, and he went to wait in line. When he came back, I was gone. He looked around, and he realized the rocks had been right next to a dog adoption. He found me holding a dog. And thus Celebrate the Life of Porter was born.

We don't go back to Chomp N Stomp anymore, although we still run Romp N Stomp. Nothing against the Chomp. Just big crowds and it makes me nervous. Plus we do things Porter liked to do. We sit on patios and drink. (She really was the perfect dog).

So this was the 5th Annual Celebrate the Life of Porter (if you are wondering how I got 5 if she has only been gone 4 years, well, you include year 0).

Friday night, D and I went to get our race numbers. We had a beer at Milltown (maybe 2). Then we went home. I texted A, only to find out she wasn't doing it this year. The streets are small and with 1500 people, she said it is too crowded. We were somewhat bummed but oh well. D and I went to bed. The next morning we may have cursed A, a little bit, because we had no incentive to get out of bed (usually one of us drives the other 2). Finally we were able to get ourselves out of the house, and up to the race.

It was about 50 degrees. People were dressed every which way. Some dressed for 100 degrees, others for -40. We had on shorts and light long-sleeved shirts. We people-watched and finally the race started. D of course got ahead of me in 3 seconds, and that was the last I saw him. I was doing decently with the slight uphill on the start. Then the downhill and then back to up while at the Krog St. Tunnel. I had a little bit trouble breathing, so I checked my HR and it was soaring. I decided even though I was at 5 minutes, to walk a minute. Well that was good, because then I got to a flat spot. I ran down to Reynoldstown and the Coffee Shop/Bar/Dog Park. I didn't notice if anyone was out, because I was nearing 13 minutes and I was trying to get to Mile 1 under 13 minutes. I did...12:57. My HR was fine and I felt fine. A lot of downhill was coming up. I figured eventually I would walk. I seemed to stay with one woman...she was running the whole thing. Her stride down hill was longer than mine, but I seemed to go uphill faster. I got up the hill on Gaskill where you turn (and a water stop). I wasn't thirsty, but my legs were screaming to walk. I took a 1 minute break and then we turned and turned running back to Gaskill. I hit Mile 2 at 13:12. The lady passed me.

Back onto Gaskill. There were 2 guys on a roof with a Brindle dog. I had to do a double take because I thought it was McMenamin at first. It made me smile. By now we were back to Carroll Street (the start) and that uphill was again. I had another walk break and then continued. The lady ran stride for stride down the hill with me and then the uphill by Krog, she did something (walk, slow...I don't know). I entered the Tunnel. My pace was easy. I saw the lady I had run with on the return (the tunnel is out and back). She wasn't going to catch me. I knew I had one more hill (the one where I walked the first time). It isn't really a hill...more of that slight upturn of the street when you come off a bridge or a tunnel. I got out of the tunnel, and my legs told me I was walking that hill again. I walked it, and turned. The rest was a slanted (down) flat. I hit mile 3 at 12:40 but that wasn't right because a) Garmin doesn't work in the tunnel and b) the mile marker was about .05 ahead of me. Still nice. I knew I wasn't doing any PR, but still happy. I turned the final turn onto Kirkwood and saw D and the finish. I crossed at 41:13. Not my best, not my worst.

We talked to some people we knew and then I got cold so we left. Around 1130 we took McMenamin out for some fries (appetizer). Then we dropped him off and picked up Scuttlebutt. We took him around Decatur (Po's favorite place).